Former NATO Head Hasn’t Wasted Any Time Cashing In

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the retiring head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, might have just set the record for cashing in after leaving office. On Wednesday, former Norwegian premier Jens Stoltenberg’s first day as Rasmussen’s replacement and just one after officially Rasmussen stepped down as NATO’s secretary general, he announced the launch of Rasmussen Global, ...

Peter Macdiarmid - WPA Pool /Getty Images
Peter Macdiarmid - WPA Pool /Getty Images
Peter Macdiarmid - WPA Pool /Getty Images

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the retiring head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, might have just set the record for cashing in after leaving office. On Wednesday, former Norwegian premier Jens Stoltenberg's first day as Rasmussen's replacement and just one after officially Rasmussen stepped down as NATO's secretary general, he announced the launch of Rasmussen Global, his brand new consulting shop. The doors to this gleaming new venture, in other words, were thrown open while his successor was still trying to find the bathroom.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the retiring head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, might have just set the record for cashing in after leaving office. On Wednesday, former Norwegian premier Jens Stoltenberg’s first day as Rasmussen’s replacement and just one after officially Rasmussen stepped down as NATO’s secretary general, he announced the launch of Rasmussen Global, his brand new consulting shop. The doors to this gleaming new venture, in other words, were thrown open while his successor was still trying to find the bathroom.

The practice of political figures hocking their experience and connections is, of course, nothing new. Former CIA director David Petraeus was hired by a private equity company some six months after leaving the government, and former general Stanley McChrystal, fired by the White House in June 2010, started the McChrystal Group in January 2011. Keith Alexander, the former director of the National Security Agency, retired in March and put out the consulting shingle in early May. Alexander raised eyebrows earlier this year when he announced that he might charge companies as much as $1 million per month to help them beef up their cyber security.

Even so, Rasmussen’s quick-draw entry into the private sector stands out.

The Denmark-based company, according to its website, will advise clients on matters of "international security, transatlantic relations, the European Union, and emerging markets," making use of "extensive network of leading policy experts, former officials, business executives and consulting firms around the globe," presumably cobbled from Rasmussen’s network of contacts from his five years at the head of NATO and his decades spent in Danish politics.

"We live in an increasingly complex world, marked by globalization, technological disruption, and new security problems," Rasmussen says in a promotional video on the site, apparently standing in front of the United Nations building in New York. "This new complexity calls for deep strategic thinking as well as broad public engagement. My goal is to facilitate both, and I hope you will find this website useful as you ponder the international challenges of our time." The site, which also advertises Rasmussen as a speaker for events, shows the Danish politician chatting with world leaders like President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and strutting purposefully with NATO military personnel.

The new company will collaborate with the Danish firm Ulveman & Partners, headed by Michael Ulveman, who acted as a media advisor to Rasmussen during his tenure as Danish prime minister as well as at NATO.

Thomas Stackpole is an Assistant Editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tom_stackpole

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